Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 99: The Peculiar Strikeout

"Double digits in strikeouts?"

"This freshman from Seidou High School's baseball team is surprisingly capable."

The spectators in the stands were all amazed.

They were completely stunned by Furuya's outstanding performance.

However, this clearly wasn't the whole story. The reason the commentator specifically emphasized the number 11 had a deeper significance.

"Some of you may not know, but I just reviewed the records for this year's Kanto Tournament. The previous highest number of strikeouts in a single game was held by Narumiya Mei. He recorded an impressive 10 strikeouts in the quarterfinals. But Furuya Satoru has just notched his 11th strikeout. He's officially broken the single-game strikeout record for this year's tournament!"

While this record may not have any real practical impact, the commentator was still talking about it with great enthusiasm, and the audience was captivated.

"Breaking a record, huh? That's really something!"

"What's the big deal? The game's only in the fifth inning. There are still several innings to go."

Even the casual fans in the stands understood the situation clearly.

This so-called record was far from Furuya's limit.

"Does anyone know the historical strikeout record for the Kanto Tournament?"

"I think it's 13, or maybe 14?"

The person who knew the record spoke with a hint of hesitation, but at the same time, they realized that the previous record no longer mattered.

If Seidou High School's coach, Kataoka, continued to let Furuya pitch on the mound, the historical record was likely going to be broken too.

"Does that mean we have the chance to witness a new history being made?"

Just the thought of it made the fans excited beyond belief.

At the same time, in the dugout of Inashiro Industrial High School.

Narumiya frowned and muttered in frustration, "Is it really necessary to rub it in like this?"

It was clear that the ace of Inashiro was quite unhappy.

Having someone break a record is, of course, something worth celebrating. But when you're the one whose record is being broken, it's hard not to feel conflicted.

Especially since the commentator went out of their way to mention his name, which only made Narumiya more upset.

"He rested for one inning, and you didn't rest at all."

Harada looked at his partner with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Don't look at me with those pitiful eyes! I'm different from the rest! So what if I pitched an extra inning? I still have more stamina than him!"

Narumiya declared proudly.

The rest of the Inashiro players didn't doubt this either.

Their ace's confidence wasn't unfounded.

Furuya's explosive pitching could push his speed above 150 kilometers per hour, but such pitching took a significant toll on him.

And let's not forget, Furuya is still just a freshman, while their ace, Narumiya, is already a second-year. The difference of a full year between them is obvious.

The gap in stamina and endurance between them was clear.

"Keep it up! As long as you maintain your current rhythm, today's victory will be ours."

Coach Kunitomo's tone wasn't overly passionate.

Yet his words carried a certain authority, making his players instinctively believe him. After hearing his speech, Inashiro Industrial's players seemed reinvigorated, as if they had just been injected with energy.

"Don't worry, Coach!"

"We'll drag this game out as long as we need to."

Bottom of the fifth inning, and it was Seidou High's turn to bat.

First up at the plate was the team's cleanup hitter, Yuuki Tetsuya.

A reporter in the stands confidently summed it up.

"Because of Furuya's stellar performance, everyone's focus has been on him. But if you think about it, Inashiro Industrial's ace is equally impressive."

So far in the game, Inashiro Industrial hadn't managed a single effective hit.

But neither had Seidou High.

Narumiya had completely controlled the pace of the game, giving Seidou no chances.

"Yuuki-senpai, huh?"

Narumiya squinted his eyes, already formulating a plan.

At the same time, Yuuki's expression grew serious. He raised his bat high, ready for battle.

Whoosh!

The white ball shot out of Narumiya's hand with incredible speed, its angle sharp, and with deceptive movement.

In Seidou's dugout, the teammates' expressions instantly darkened.

How could a breaking ball this obvious still be thrown with such speed?

In today's game, Narumiya was pitching as if he had activated some kind of cheat code.

Crack!

Facing the sharp breaking ball, Yuuki Tetsuya swung his bat fiercely.

Ping!

The white ball made contact and shot up high. Under everyone's gaze, it eventually fell foul.

The fans in the stands gasped in astonishment. This level of competition had them all on the edge of their seats.

Meanwhile, the players in Inashiro's dugout inhaled sharply.

Yuuki was even harder to deal with than they thought? He wasn't fooled by Narumiya's high-level breaking ball?

"Amazing! As expected of Yuuki-senpai!"

From the pitcher's mound, Narumiya couldn't help but compliment him.

Immediately after, he threw another pitch without missing a beat.

Whoosh!

This time, the pitch was aimed in the opposite direction.

Ping!

Once again, the white ball was hit into foul territory. This time, it flew even farther, landing much closer to the edge of the strike zone.

It seemed like Yuuki was gradually gaining control over the rhythm of his duel with Narumiya.

"Whoo!"

Yuuki, having just sent the ball flying, let out a long breath in the batter's box.

Despite being pushed to the brink by his opponent, Yuuki gave off an air of confidence, as if he had already figured out how to handle Narumiya.

Seidou's players in the dugout were beyond excited as they watched this scene.

"Yuuki!"

"Captain, that was awesome!"

From their perspective, it seemed like Yuuki was just one swing away from making solid contact on the next pitch.

No one noticed, however, that Narumiya had a smirk creeping onto his face.

And then…

Narumiya threw the white ball from his hand, but this time it was noticeably slower than before.

In Seidou's dugout, the players were wide-eyed with shock.

"A changeup?"

Narumiya's sudden changeup was sure to throw off any batter's timing.

But Yuuki wasn't fooled.

He didn't swing with the previous rhythm but waited until the ball came closer, then swung his bat.

Whoosh!

Yuuki's swing was as powerful as ever, but despite that, he still didn't make contact with the ball.

Smack!

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!!"

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